The new HTC One flagship phone is currently facing delays, and certain markets will not see pre-orders arrive until the end of the month.

The company announced it is pushing back the smartphone's shipping of pre-orders in certain markets to the end of March, while a formal rollout to other markets is set to follow in April.

The delay marks a big setback for the handset vendor, and HTC can hardly afford any mishaps. The company is still struggling to revive its sluggish profit and sales, and the HTC One flagship is its best bet to turn its fortunes around. Though HTC did not detail the reasons behind this delay, the complex process of manufacturing the all-metal frame around the phone could have something to do with it.

Clove, one of the biggest UK and international retailers for smartphones online, announced it will not be getting the international edition for the HTC One until March 29, although the original launch date was March 15. This delay seems to have no effect on the launch date for the U.S., but an official date is still not confirmed.

"We will start fulfilling pre-orders by end March in certain markets and will roll out to more markets as we approach April," HTC explained in a statement to the media.

Although the company is relying on the HTC One flagship handset to turn things around, the smartphone will enter a tough market, as it is making its debut at a time when several heavyweight device manufacturers also are unleashing their new powerhouses for 2013.

The LG Optimus Pro, for instance, is launching across Asia, while the highly-anticipated and much-hyped Samsung Galaxy S4 will make its grand debut on Thursday in New York City. The iPhone 5S will also likely arrive this summer, and rumors suggest Motorola will be launching a Google Nexus device as well. While not all of these handsets are confirmed, one thing's for sure: the HTC One will have some fierce competition.

The HTC One's known specifications indicate the handset is very capable of holding its own, but it remains to be seen whether this regional delay will affect its success or not.